


caught mistakes in the sidewalk

by waywardprentiss



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Banter, Drinking & Talking, Episode: s22e08 The Only Way Out is Through, F/M, Feelings Realization, Flirting, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-19 03:35:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29744376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waywardprentiss/pseuds/waywardprentiss
Summary: He takes a sip of his beer before propping it on his thigh. “Why are you always mad at me?”Kat's eyes widen as she huffs out a laugh. “Straight to the point, huh, Carisi?”He smiles ruefully. “Call me Sonny.”“That’s not what I’ve heard Rollins call you.” Her eyes shift back over the bar and Sonny notices she’s avoiding his question.“Well, I hate it when she calls me Dominick. Makes me feel like my old man.”
Relationships: Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr. & Katriona "Kat" Azar Tamin, Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr./Katriona "Kat" Azar Tamin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	caught mistakes in the sidewalk

**Author's Note:**

> okay y'all can't deny them being rivals to lovers would be a serve

Sonny stepped out into the night air, descending down the courthouse steps and watched as Kat’s cousin walked away.

“Didn’t go so well, huh?”

She turns around, sighing and brings a hand up to rub her forehead. “No. You already did the arraignment?”

“Yeah.” It’s his turn to sigh. “Went by pretty quick.”

She scoffs. “This is ridiculous. How can she not see he’s playing her?” 

He shuffles on his feet next to her. The sound of a nearby ambulance blares in the distance. “This is how some of these cases go. It sucks but all we can do is talk to them. It’s the victim’s decision at the end of the day. We just have to deal with the result.”

Kat shakes her head, looking away from him to watch a couple cars go by. “This is my fault. I should’ve known he’d twist his words. I should have warned her.”

“Hey.” He reaches out and touches her shoulder. “It wasn’t.”

Her mouth twists into a frown and he leans forward to catch her eye. “I meant what I said. You didn’t do anything wrong. These cases are hard when it isn’t family and when it is- well you can’t blame yourself either way.”

She gives him a curious look. “You know from experience?”

Sonny rolls his eyes, dropping his hand. “Believe it or not I do remember being a cop.”

She smirks and he huffs out a laugh. “But yeah, my niece a couple years ago. I’m close with my sisters so it was hard. Felt like I could’ve done more to prevent it.”

He shrugs. “It’s really easy to blame yourself when things go wrong.”

“Yeah. Tell me about it.” Kat gets a confused look in her eye. “I don’t know what it is. We’re not that close. It’s been a while since I’ve even seen her.”

“Family is weird.” 

She laughs. “Yeah.”

An awkward tension feels the air after a minute and Sonny speaks before thinking. “You want to get a drink?”

She quirks an eyebrow at him but nods. “Sure.”

-

The walk to Forlini’s takes them all but ten minutes and they settle into two open seats at the bar right away. 

Sonny signals for the bartender and she comes over to take their orders.

“I’ll have a beer.”

Kat nods beside him. “Make that two.”

She comes back with their drinks a little while later and they sit in silence for a minute with their backs to the bar top, both of them looking out over the bar people watching.

“So.” Sonny says, tapping his fingers against his bottle.

Kat's eyes drag away from the couple making out in the corner to his face. “So.”

He takes a sip of his beer before propping it on his thigh. “Why are you always mad at me?”

Kat's eyes widen as she huffs out a laugh. “Straight to the point, huh, Carisi?”

He smiles ruefully. “Call me Sonny.”

“That’s not what I’ve heard Rollins call you.” Her eyes shift back over the bar and Sonny notices she’s avoiding his question.

“Well, I hate it when she calls me Dominick. Makes me feel like my old man.”

Her lips lift in the corner but she doesn’t say anything.

“Really, Kat.” He says, nodding his bottle in her direction. “Why are we always arguing? We want the same thing - justice for the victims.”

“I don’t know, Sonny.” She says with a pointed look. “Maybe you’re just fun to argue with.”

The twinkle in her eye covers up the bluntness of her words and he feels his cheeks warm. “I may have heard that before.”

“Look,” She says, turning toward him on her stool before setting her beer down on the bar. “I want to impress the Captain. I’m new to Special Victims and I want to show her and everyone else I can do the job. You always seem to come in with critique that makes me look like a dumbass.”

Sonny tilts his head. “I don’t mean to do that but I also have bosses I want to impress. That’s easier when I have cases with fewer obstacles.”

Kat nods her head in acknowledgment. 

“You were right though too.” Sonny says and at her confused look he goes on. “I do mean it’s harder on me when there’s a complicated case. Maybe I do blame that on the jury when in reality it’s just something I don’t think I can handle.”

He shrugs. “Like you said, I’m just trying to show my bosses I know what I’m doing.”

Kat’s face turns apologetic. “I didn’t mean anything by that-“

He holds up a hand cutting her off. “No, I know.”

“It’s just.” He turns around and sets his beer down before leaning an arm on the bar. “I’m still getting used to this, ya know? Being an actual lawyer. Some people haven’t been as supportive as I thought they would and I guess I’m still just trying to prove myself.”

Kat leans her elbows on the bar to match his position. She nudges his shoulder. “Look at us, huh?”

He sends her a sad smile before taking another sip of his drink.

“Hey.” Kat says softly, laying a hand on his arm. “I didn’t know you as a cop but I know you care a lot about the people we help. It’s obvious.”

He looks down at her hand when she gives it a light squeeze. “Just keep doing what you’re doing. You’re doing a great job.”

“Thanks.” Sonny says, looking back up at her face. The lighting in the bar reflecting off her diamond earrings catches his eye. “You’re doing good work too. I know Liv is proud. Even when it doesn’t seem like she is.”

Kat laughs, ducking her head as she pulls her hand away. 

“I mean it. You’re passionate about the work. That’s what they need.”

“Thanks.” She nods, before looking up at him with a gleam in her eye and a blush on her cheeks. “So, this whole time, I was trying to do my job and look good in front of my boss and you were doing the exact same thing and yet we were still picking on each other for it?”

Sonny laughs. “Sounds like it, yeah.”

“Wow.” She laughs, grinning.

He grins back at her. “Seems like we know each other better than we thought.”

“Yeah.”

She’s still grinning and Sonny notices that her whole face lights up when she’s smiling. Huh.

He nudges her hand with his on the counter. “Lets start over then, huh?”

Nodding, she says, “Sure.”

“Alright.” He turns toward her so he’s facing her head on. He holds out a hand. “Hi, I’m Sonny.”

She chuckles, looking down at his hand before taking it. “Hi, Sonny. I’m Kat.”

“Nice to meet you, Kat.” He says, grinning as he shakes her hand.

Her smile softens and Sonny feels something stir up in his chest. “You too.”

Sonny gets caught up in her deep brown eyes for a moment before noticing that their hands have stopped moving and are just hanging in the space between them. He slowly lets go and awkwardly looks around for the bartender.

“How about I get the next round?”

He looks over at her, all of the sudden nervous, to find her wearing that same soft smile. 

“I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> title is from bleachers' song "hate that you know me"


End file.
